Point/Counterpoint: Do We Need Watch Fairs in 2025?

Not so long ago, watch experts and internet commentators all agreed that the era of the in-person watch fair was over. Baselworld, which last ran in 2019, was a dinosaur, the final remnant of a pre-digital age. In 2019, it was already on its last legs, but the global pandemic of 2020 was the final straw. A pandemic that demonstrated the power and convenience of digital launches. For a while, it seemed like online only was the new normal, but now, in 2025, there seem to be more in-person watch fairs than ever before. So we thought we'd debate the pros and cons of watch fairs in 2025.

We Don't Need IRL Watch Fairs in 2025

First of all, let's be clear. Watches are best experienced in real life. Instagram is a great place to discover and learn about watches but to truly appreciate them; you need to spend some face time with them. But make no mistake, that doesn't mean we all need to make a pilgrimage to Switzerland to attend an expensive, elitist and antiquated event where the chosen few get to experience horology. Maybe it made sense 20 or 30 years ago when these trade shows were exactly that, an opportunity for retailers to see the products they were buying and place orders for the year ahead. The reality today is far different. The watch business can be conducted remotely perfectly well. Shipping and logistics are advanced enough to allow watch samples to travel to markets, and video conferencing today is so normalised that it's an effective analogue for an in-person meeting. The days of the watch fairs being meaningful sales events are long past — now it's common for the watches announced at the major Swiss shows to be in the stores on the same day. It's an expensive marketing exercise, and the brands keep around for tradition more than anything. Watch fairs were fun while they lasted, but let's be real, they're a relic of a bygone age.

Yes We Do

It's true that watches are more digital and omnipresent today than ever before. The release schedule isn't limited to one or two key moments. It's quite possible for brands to release a new watch every month — and some do. It's also possible to do this all online and announce a product when they're in the boutique. But to take the view that watch fairs are solely about buying and selling products misses the point. It should come as no surprise that Dubai Watch Week is a firm believer in physical events, not just as an opportunity to see watches but as a chance for a real-world community to come together. And while it's true that many people find watch communities online, there's really no comparison to the conversations, debates, and nuanced discussions that happen in real life — the online equivalent too often lacks nuance and grace. On top of that, watch fairs aren't an exclusively Swiss phenomenon. These days, every region seems to have a healthy culture of vibrant fairs popping up, all with their own regionally specific flair and focus and supported by everyone, from community groups to retailers and brands. It's good for business, sure, but more than that; watch fairs are good for watches and the people who love them.